Egg grader



March 2, 1943.

' w. E. PETERSEN nae GRADER Fild Feb. 2, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 1943. w. E. PETERSEN EGG GRADER Filed Feb. 2, 1942 2 sheets-sheet 2 "or," I r111 f/V l EN 70/? Patented Mar. 2, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFHCE Claims.

My invention relates to egg graders and has particular reference to an egg grader in which a balance beam is employed for indicating several sizes into which eggs are generally divided by weight, namely, large, medium and small.

Generally speaking, the object of my invention is to provide a compact inexpensive, durable and practical grader embodying the elements mentioned which is speedy and easy to operate to accomplish its purposes in accurate and efiicient manner;

A special object of the invention is the provision of a balance beam cooperable with associated parts which will automatically adjust themselves for indicating the several sizes into which the eggs are desired to be graded;

Another special object of the invention is to so construct and arrange the several cooperable relatively movable parts whereby eggs may be separately expeditiously graded and the grade in which the egg belongs audibly indicated to the operator without the necessity of the latter looking at the grader while it is being operated;

Still further objects and purposes of the invention will become apparent in the following continuation of the specification.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in the diiierent views Figure 1 is a side elevational view showing the grader in normal position, which position thereof being unaiiected by the weighing of the small grade of eggs;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the grader, showing the several parts disposed in a position indicating medium grade eggs;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view showing the parts in a position indicating large grade eggs;

Figure 4 is a sectional view on line 4'4', Fig. 3;

Figure 5 is a top plan View with portions of the supporting, block broken away;

Figure 6 is a view on line 66' of Figure 5 showing certain parts in the relative position shown in- Figure 1;

Figure '7 is similar to Fig. 6, but with the members in their relative position indicated in Fig. 3;

Figure 8 is a cross section approximately on line 8'8 of Fig. 5;

Figure 9 is a rear elevational view of the beamsupporting plate;

Figure 10 is a rear elevational view of the fulcrum plate;

Figure 11 is a sectional view on line HH, Fig. 10;

Figure 12 is a side view of the indicating element;

Figure 13 is a cross section on line |3l3', Fig. 5;

Figure 14 is a side elevation of a mid portion of the balance beam;

Figure 15 is a View in elevation on line |5-|5', Fig. 5, showing a fragmental portion of the egg receptacle supported by a wedge-shaped bracket secured to a forward portion of the balance beam; and

Figure 16 is a view in elevation, partly sectional, of a modified form of the egg receptacle guiding link and cooperable parts.

Referring now to the drawings in stricter detail:

The letter A indicates a supporting block formed of wood or other suitable material, to which is rigidly secured a frame element B comprising a base plate I, an upstanding guide plate 2 and an upstanding beam-supporting plate 3.

The guide plate 2 has a T-shaped slot 4 (Figs. 6, 7).

The beam-supporting plate 3 has a pair of upwardly extending tongues 5, 5, a pair of rivet openings 6,6, a rectangular opening 7 and, on opposite sides of the latter, pin openings 8, 8.

To the rear side of the supporting plate 3 is rigidly secured a fulcrum plate 9 by means of rivets l0, I0 extending therethrough and through the openings 6, 6 in the plate 3.

The upper edge of the fulcrum plate is wedge shaped as at ll, Fig. 11, and extends a distance above the upper edge of the plate 3.

A balance beam [2 comprising a pair of metal strips l3, l3, secured rigidly together at M, M, have their intermediate portions spaced laterally as at I5, and their forward end portions forked semicircularly as at l6, l6 (Fig. 5).

The rear end portion of the beam I2 terminates in a reduced portion IT to which is secured a suitable balance weight l8, which, in the pres"- ent instance, is secured by means of a screw element I9. However, if preferred, the screw element may be eliminated and the weight l8 secured t0 the portion IT by any other means found expedient.

Adjacent the free ends of the front end portion of the beam l2 are secured wedge shaped brack ets 20, 20.

2| designates the egg receptacle, which comprises a circular egg supporting ring member 22 having at its upper edge an annular laterally extending flange 23 from the opposite edges of which are downwardly and inwardly extending guide members 24, 24, the latter terminating downwardly in a pair of downwardly extending laterally spaced lips 25, 25 provided with openings 26, 26 (Figs. 3, 4, and 13).

Into the lower edges of the intermediate portions of the members I3, I3 of the beam I2 are notches 21, 21, in the apexes of which they receive the wedge shaped upper beveled edge II of the fulcrum plate 9, and by which latter plate the beam I2 is supported intermediate the tongues 5, 5 of the plate 3 (Figs. 8 and 14); the

- egg is weighed, the beam I2 assumes a balanced" arrangement being such as to permit the beam" I2 to oscillate freely onthe fulcrum plate 9 during the operation of the grader.

28 designates a signaling element comprising a head portion 29 on the opposite sides of which T grader.

The head portion of the signaling element 28 is movably held in its operative position on the fulcrum plate 9 by means of screws 33, 33, which extend through openings 34, 34 in the flanges 39, 39, and are securely threaded into openings 35, 35 in the rearwardly extending fiangesSB, 36 on the opposite side margins of the fulcrum plate 9 (Figs. 10 and 11).

The openings 34, 34 are sufficiently large with respect to the diameter of the screws 33, 33 to permit proper oscillatory movement of the signaling element on the fulcrum plate 9.

The egg receptacle 2I is balanced and held in its vertical or upright position by means of a guide link 31 pivotally secured at its forward end portion to the lips 25, 25 by means of a securing pin 38 extending through an opening 39 in said end and through the openings 26, 2B in said lips 25, 25, and its rear end portion, which projects through the opening I, pivotally secured by means of a pin element 49 projecting through an opening 4| in said end and through the openings 8, 8 in the plate 3 (Figs. 4 and 13).

On the upper edge of the rear end portion of the balance beam I2 is an impinging nodule 42 preferably of a unit with the strips forming said beam.

The invention herein disclosed is designed to automatically grade eggs, one at a time, into three different sizes or grades, namely, small, medium and large.

The normal position of the grader is indicated by Fig. 1, in which the rear end portion of the balance beam I2 seats on the lower margin of the slot 4 and the front end of the beam is disposed upwardly as far as it can go.

In operation of the invention, when an egg is disposed in the receptacle 2| and its weight causes no perceptable downwardly movement thereof from its normal position as indicated in Fig. 1, the egg so disposed is classed small. But if the egg in the egg receptacle causes the beam I2 to oscillate and move from said normal position into the balanced position indicated in Fig. 2, the egg is classed as medium grade. And, if the egg deposited in the receptacle 2I causes the beam I2 to oscillate into the position indicated in Fig. 3, in which its front end is descended and its rear end elevated as far as the same can operatively go, the egg is classed as large.

In the normal position of the device (Fig. 1) the weight element I8 causes the rear end of the beam I2 to seat on the lower margin of the slot 4 and the lever 32 to seat on the shoulders 4-a of the laterally extended portion of the slot (Fig. 6).

In the position of the device when a, medium or horizontal position with the impinging nodule I 42 in contact with the lever 32 as indicated in Fig. 2. In this position of the device it will be found there is sufiicient oscillatory vibration of the beam I2, before the same comes to rest, to

cause the nodule 42 to impinge and raise the lever 32 several times from its normal position on" the shoulders 4--a of the slot 4. This impinging of the lever and the rising and reseating of it on the shoulders 4a results in a clicking of the contacting parts, which, being audible to the operator, indicates to him the grade and size of the egg being weighed, without the necessity of looking to the device.

The relative position of the movable parts of the device when a large egg is weighed is indicated in Fig. 3. In this position the front end of the beam I2 has been caused to descend and the rear end thereof to ascend by the weight of theegg. In this instance the nodule 42 has impinged and raised the lever 32 into its uppermost position against the upper margin of the slot 4 (Fig. 7).

The modification of the present invention, disclosed in Fig. 16, comprises in providing a guide link 43 the rear end portion of which has a notch in its lower margin, as at 44, the notched portion seating on a wedge-shaped fulcrum portion 45 formed on the lower margin of an opening 46 in the member 3, through which the rear end of the guide link projects. The arrangement being such to permit the front end of the link 43 to oscillate freely vertically.

It is to be understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A device of the character described comprising a base element, an upstanding guide plate having an opening extending through the upper end portion thereof, an upstanding beam-supporting plate, a fulcrum plate secured to said beam-supporting plate, a balance beam having its mid portion fulcrumed on said fulcrum plate and having its rear end portion projecting through and vertically movable in said opening, an egg receptacle relatively movably supported by the front end portion of said balance beam, and a signal member having its forward end portion fulcrumed on said fulcrum plate and having its rear end portion projecting through and vertically limitedly movable in said opening above said beam, said rear end portion'of the signal member adapted to normally seat on offsets on the intermediate inner margins of said opening, said rear end portion of said signal member being adapted to be impinged and moved vertically by said balance beam during the operable movement ofthe latter when weighing certain grades of ggs.

2. In a device of the character described, a base element, a frame element rigidly secured to said base element and including an upstanding guide plate having a slot extending through its upper end portion, said slot being T-shaped whereby are provided a pair of opposed shoulders on its intermediate margins, an upstanding beam-supporting plate having a fulcrum plate rigidly secured to the upper end portion thereof, an oscillatory balance beam having its mid portion fulcrumed on said fulcrum plate and having its rear end portion projecting through and vertically movable in said slot, an egg receptacle relatively movably supported by the front end portion of said balance beam, and a signal member having its front end portion fulcrumed on said fulcrum plate and havin its rear end portion projecting through and vertically movable in said slot above the balance beam, said balance beam having upwardly projecting means adjacent its rear end portion adapted to impinge against said signal member and to move it vertically during certain operable oscillations of said balance beam, said balance beam adapted to normally seat on the lower margin of said slot, said signal member adapted to normaly seat on said shoulders.

3. An egg grader as set forth in claim 1 in which the upstanding beam-supporting plate is provided with a pair of laterally spaced upstanding tongues.

4. An egg grader as set forth in claim 1 in which the front end portion of the signal member is provided with a pair of depending laterally spaced flanges having their lower edges notched.

5. An egg grader as set forth in claim 2 in which the fulcrum plate is provided With a pair of rearwardly extending laterally spaced flanges.

WILLIAM E. PETERSEN. 

